Paste magazineáhas teamed up with Beat Marketingáto create an in-flight audio channel – “The Paste Beat” – on American Airlines flights.
“The Paste Beat” will debut September 1. The channel’s content will be changed monthly. Each monthly program will be two hours long and will include live recordings, artist interviews and tracks from Paste‘s “4 to Watch” bands – artists highlighted in the magazine.
When approached for the deal by partners at Beat Marketing, Paste publisher and president Tim Regan-Porter saw “The Paste Beat” as a simple way to build brand recognition.
“We thought it was a great extension of the brand,” he said. “It’s very logical and in-line with what we normally do with the sampler [a cover-mount CD] and all the curating we do with events and the magazine. It’s not that much effort, and it supports the brand.”
A recent American Airlines customer survey found that 72% percent of AA passengers listen to in-flight audio, providing Paste the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. Regan-Porter predicts that the biggest crossover success from the Decatur, GA-based print magazine to AA passengers will be the “4 to Watch” artists.
“The Paste Beat” will be advertised in both Paste and the AA in-flight magazine. A network of independent music stores, including C.I.M.S. and AIMS has also signed on to feature the audio-cast.
Paste will introduce its first mobile component as a tie-in service to “The Paste Beat.” When a flight lands, passengers will be able to text codes to receive extra songs or special offers from the music magazine.
Regan-Porter said he plans to keep the audio service “pure content” for the time being, meaning no advertisers will be featured on “The Paste Beat.”
“We haven’t even asked the question yet,” he admitted. “With the kind of reach American Airlines has, and a very high percentage [of people] listening to in-flight, we mostly just hope to get exposure.”
American Airlines serves 250 cities in more than 40 countries with its flights under the American, American Eagle and AmericanConnection banners.
Beat Marketing, Paste‘s partner in “The Paste Beat” is located in Valencia, CA. The company runs the “Hear it Here” in-store program, which places music in coffee shops and caf?s throughout the United States.
